Alaska pipeline corporation removes president

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — The president of the state-sanctioned Alaska Gasline Development Corp. has been dismissed.

President Keith Meyer was removed Thursday and replaced by Joe Dubler, who will be serving on an interim basis, the Alaska Journal of Commerce reported .

Doug Smith, the new chair of the corporation’s board, declined to elaborate on why Meyer was removed, citing it as a “personnel matter.”

A spokesman for Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy did not immediately respond to the newspaper’s questions regarding Meyer’s termination.

Meyer has led the corporation since June 2016. He previously ran LNG America, a Houston-based energy logistics firm he founded in 2008.

Meyer was the highest-paid state employee, earning a base salary of $550,000 per year. The board last month awarded him two years of performance bonuses totaling $296,000. His three-year contract made him eligible for performance bonuses of up to $200,000 annually.

Dubler is currently the executive vice president of finance and administration for the Cook Inlet Housing Authority. He previously worked for the corporation as vice president of commercial operations under former president Dan Fauske.

His base salary will be $350,000, and he will not be offered pay bonuses, state officials said. He enters the new role on Feb. 1.

Dunleavy appointed Smith and Dan Coffey to the board Monday, replacing members Hugh Short and Joey Merrick. Coffey was voted vice chair as Smith was named chair.

The corporation is pursuing a major liquefied natural gas project, which is nearing a milestone as its draft environmental impact statement is scheduled to be released next month.